[log in to unmask]">Your rationale at best is flawed and worst is wrong. You said bunch of smart people but one person (Yahya) trampled on is all. You may be right many smart people but our problem has nothing or little to do with smartness. After all of our political problems are the creation of these supposed smart people and not the farmers, vendors and tax drivers, etc. More importantly though, if your characterization of Yahya holds did you ever told other efforts such as contesting elections against Yahya is futile?

I mentioned that in fact our laws weren't too bad but the implementation - that until enough requisite capacity obtain amongst our people functioning democracy will never show up at our shores. These problems started long before Yahya and likely to continue if we should succeed with the current election agenda. The only difference is - it will be another person.

Let me agree with you for a moment - let the smart people come out and tell us what we can/could do. Is not enough to say Yahya is so bad that about 2 million population has not solution with all that smart people.

I will submit that the supposed smart folks are our problem - they created everything that's wrong in country. Fifty years and counting - cut a check at the office of accountant general - 5 minutes later no one can trace its route with documentation.

I salute the farmers, vendors, masoner, carpenters, tax drivers, etc. who pay their taxes and/or royalties and in return not loot the public  coffer.

This is not insinuating that every learned Gambian is bad - am only saying amongst them we grow all these problems. 

Burama

On Monday, November 10, 2014, Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Burama,
To answer your question at the end, this is pure poppycock  to put it mildly, as long as Mr. Jammeh calls the shots in Banjul! The Gambia's problem is not about lack of smart people, or lack of good ideas or good laws. The problem is twenty years ago someone decided to take the government BY FORCE!! During these years he removed long-term civil servants at will and without compensation for their service, incarcerated citizens for refusing to give up their properties and businesses,   executed military officers for "conspiring against him" without the right to a fair trial, and even denied the remains of  opponents to be interred in the Gambia. Go read the current constitution and tell me where such acts are condone.

Now how do you re-write the constitution, create environment and mechanisms to uphold the constitution when Mr. Jammeh is calling the shots in Banjul? Really?

Malanding Jaiteh




On 11/10/2014 1:32 PM, Burama Jammeh wrote:

1)    Rewrite the constitution:

-        that recognizes The Gambia as a republic and the people have collective responsibility to manage it (the constitution didn’t create the republic)

-        that numerates our rights as a recognition but not creation hence guarantee their maximum protection

-        create a limited, separated and decentralized governance structure with clearly defined authorities

-        free the constitution of matters are should be legislated such as parastatal divesture

-        limit the role of the presidency to half a page (font 11) and the whole constitution 25 pages or less

-        etc

2)    Create environment and mechanisms to uphold and defend the constitution. This is difficult than writing one. This is where we have always failed. Our constitution as is not terrible but the adherence is almost 100% none existence. To ensure such will not be a one off activity but multiple level and task efforts.

3)    Rule of law the dictator of everything state

4)    Due process of law dictator of everything state

5)    Maintenance of basic social data for inform decision making and accountability

6)    Capacity building – a people can’t sustain democracy if they do not acquire the requisite capacity to live a life of a democrat

 

Numbers 2 is the most difficult task here. Numbers 6 is the most important and is only possible with a tangible republican environment.

 

This is the(a) only common agenda. This is the only agenda that guaranteed equal opportunity Gambia for all of us.

 

Giving the current political and socioeconomic environment in The Gambia and our disjointed struggle – how do we do this?

 

The first essential step is communication…lets begin the discussion of what really matters.

 

Burama

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤